An Open Letter to All of Us

To our Wells family who are now homeless, hungry, stressed or worried; to our friends in new homes who are feeling overwhelmed, to our communities who are now raged with fear: we stand together. It feels sticky, uneven, rushed and sad. I imagine it will feel this way for a little longer. I want to thank our professors and staff for being who we need them to be right now: patient, understanding, and visible. This territory we are all part of now is one we have never been trained for. That said, we have been trained in acting humane, loving loudly, and being open to change. The work we have put into our careers thus far will only be helpful during this time of uncertainty. 

To our seniors whose rug was pulled too soon, we are thinking of you.

To our exchange students who had just gotten a taste of a new experience, we are thinking of you.

To our friends with no homes to go home to, we are thinking of you.

To our friends who are now stepping up to be their siblings’ caregiver again, we are thinking of you.

To our friends who are hurting from circumstances outside of their control, we are thinking of you. 

To the professors, staff, and faculty who we didn’t get to say goodbye to, know that we are missing you already. 

If you know me you know how I am convinced Ocean Vuong can write you through any hardship. Here is a small piece I hope finds you kindly-

What were we before we were we? We must’ve been standing by the shoulder of a dirt road while the city burned. We must’ve been disappearing, like we are now. Maybe in the next life we’ll meet each other for the first time– believing in everything but the harm we’re capable of. Maybe we’ll be the opposite of buffaloes. We’ll grow wings and spill over the cliff as a generation of monarchs, heading home.

I hope we all get to head home soon. 

My hopes for the upcoming weeks: we remain in contact (I couldn’t be more thankful for our Facebook page), we stay home, and that we speak up when we need help (know that we are all in this together despite the overwhelming feeling of solitude). 

I hope we are all able to take comfort in the smaller victories: the nicer weather, more time to create and dream, and the ability to stay connected online. While we are still valid to worry about things no longer in our control, we should be making a conscious effort to remember and focus on what is in our control- washing our hands, reminding others to wash theirs, taking your vitamins and limiting your consumption of news. Nobody needs to listen to overwhelming and devastating statistics all day.

Take care of yourself, and reach out as needed. 

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• poetry
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